Designed by Government Digital Service (GDS), GOV.UK was chosen as the winner from some of the best designs of past12 months in seven categories: architecture, dignital, fashion, furniture, graphics, product and transport.
Described by Design Museum director Deyan Sudjic as ‘elegant and subtly British… the Paul Smith of websites’, GOV.UK combines all of the UK Government’s websites into a single domain and uses a typeface inspired by that used on motorway signage designed by Margaret Calvert in 1960s.
This is the first time a website (or indeed any design nominated in the digital category) has won the five year-old award, whose previous winners include a folding plug, a designer energy saving light bulb, and the Shepard Fairey-designed poster supporting Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
The award was presented to Mike Bracken, executive director of GDS, Ben Terrett, head of design at GDS, and Nick Hurd, the minister for civil society at an awards reception held at Angler, South Place Hotel, London.
According to the Design Museum, the jury unanimously chose GOV.UK as the overall winner of Design of the Year 2013 for its ‘well thought out yet understated design, making the user experience faster and easier.’
Deyan Sudjic, Director of Design Museum said: ‘GOV.UK is a remarkable success on so many levels. It makes life better for millions of people coping with the everyday chores, from getting a new passport, to paying their taxes. It’s a reflection of the Government understanding how to communicate with the country in a way that works, it’s simple, direct, well mannered, all the things that we would like to take for granted from the Government, but in a sea of red tape and jargon, usually can’t.’
